Pioneering cancer doctor Lucy Gossage has welcomed the results of a landmark study that examined the impact of exercise on cancer patients.
The oncologist, who is well-known for co-founding 5k Your Way, Move Against Cancer as well as being a 14 times Ironman champion, said the results of the CHALLENGE trial (Courneya et al., 2025) were ‘astounding’.
Published this month in The New England Journal of Medicine, the CHALLENGE trial is the first published randomised controlled trial that has tested exercise in the same way as drugs are tested.
In the study, 889 people who had completed chemotherapy after surgery for bowel cancer were either given a three-year, personalised exercise programme with the support of a personal trainer or were given general health education materials promoting exercise and nutrition.
The risk of developing a cancer recurrence or a new cancer was 28 per cent lower in the group given the exercise programme and after eight years the risk of dying from any cause was 37 per cent lower in the group given the exercise programme.
Lucy (pictured) said: “The results were astounding and these benefits are huge. They’re of an equivalent magnitude to many of the drugs that we prescribe, many of which have horrible short and long-term side effects and are expensive.
“For the first time ever, we now have definitive proof that we should be prescribing exercise, alongside our prescriptions for drugs and radiotherapy. Exercise isn’t just about feeling better. It’s about living longer.”
The former triathlete and duathlete, who is a Consultant Oncologist at Nottingham University NHS Trust, said she was deeply moved when she read the results – not just as an oncologist, but as a co-founder of a movement built on belief.
She said: “In 2018, when we launched the first 5K Your Way, Move Against Cancer group in Nottingham, many colleagues were sceptical.
“We were told that people living with cancer won’t want to be told to exercise and even now, that view persists.
“Some assume my background as a professional triathlete clouds my judgement but after seven years I’ve witnessed firsthand how movement can empower people physically, mentally, and emotionally.
“I’ve seen confidence grow, communities build and stories of hope and resilience emerge. Yet most people joining a group tell me no healthcare professional has ever encouraged them to exercise. Often, they’ve simply been told to rest.
We’ve long known that exercise during and after cancer treatment reduces fatigue, boosts mood and improves health related quality of life. Observational studies have linked it to lower recurrence and better survival. For years, I’ve ended conference talks anticipating definitive trial data to confirm this.
“Now our belief that movement matters is backed by a trial as rigorous as any drug study. This is a turning point in cancer care and the kind of evidence oncologists are trained to trust.”
To learn more about Lucy’s thoughts on the latest research, visit her blog at https://lucygossage.com/exercise-is-medicine-a-turning-point-in-cancer-care/
For further information about Move Against Cancer, go to https://www.moveagainstcancer.org/
To read the study, click here
